Substitution
by Kinkaju
Summary: Even the gods don't always get what they want.


Zaros rose.

It was still dark, but faint light was beginning to creep through the window, signalling the first traces of dawn.

Beside him, Char stirred but did not awaken. Zaros glanced at her. The Auspah lay on her stomach, her body bare of clothing, one arm curled by her side, the other stretched out beside her head. She murmured as he detangled himself from her and rose from the bed, perhaps feeling his absence instantly.

Zaros watched her as he dressed. From where he now stood, her face was turned away from him, but that did nothing to tarnish her beauty. He was still as fascinated by her as he had been in the beginning, from the time when he first encountered her kind. There had been a void within him, something that needed to be filled, and she had filled it.

But not completely.

Char murmured for him once more, and Zaros moved to placate her. He trailed one hand slowly along her back, feeling the smoothness of her skin. She relaxed under his touch, sinking back into slumber. He could feel the heat within her, the eternal fire that burned inside her. Even as its master slept, it was still writhing, swirling, blazing within her. She was powerful. She was beautiful.

The darkness was receding now, the signs of morning growing stronger. Pale light filled the room, bathing everything it touched in its glory. As it fell upon her, Char seemed to come alive. Her golden hair, already bright, became almost dazzling. The flames within her, already strong, became wild, thrashing in a desire to burst forth. Her body seemed to grow hot. Zaros withdrew his hand from her flesh.

The beauty of fire. The beauty of light. Fire. Light.

Yes, that was why he had chosen her. Zaros had always known that. Char fascinated him. Her devotion to him and her connection to fire captivated him.

But not truly.

However impressive she was, she did not entrance him in the way the first being had, so many years ago and so many worlds away. In all the time since then, no other had so delighted him, so completed him, so entirely filled his mind until he could think of nothing else, like _she_ had. The only other being like him. The only other being that knew him.

His companion. His equal. His sister.

Seren.

* * *

 _They stood together, gazing at the slumbering giant before them._

 _"I can't stay here any longer."_

 _"Please... Mah needs you._ I _need you."_

 _"Then come with me."_

 _"I can't. She needs me."_

 _"She is a child. She will always be a child. Will you remain forever with her? Sister... you could be so much more._ We _could be so much more. We will be... if you come with me."_

 _"I will not abandon her."_

 _Zaros looked away. For the first time since he had come into existence, he felt the sting of rejection._

 _"You are a mere toy to her. She has done nothing for you but hold you captive. I can set you free."_

 _"I will not abandon her."_

 _Rejection turned into bitterness. Zaros turned to face his companion. Seren gazed back at him. Her body was tense, but her eyes were clear. She had never looked more beautiful. Zaros yearned for her to understand. That if they remained with Mah their potential would be wasted. They would be nothing, do nothing, achieve nothing. And for what purpose? There was nothing that they could do for Mah. She would always be a malformed husk. They however, could be so much more._

 _Zaros stared into his sister's eyes. Even when she frustrated him, he could not resist how much he adored her. Her eyes, her voice, her_ presence. _Every aspect of her being captivated him. He could not resist it, nor did he want to. Love flowed within him, love for her. It was overpowering, almost more than he could contain. Although he knew that it was Mah that was responsible for forcing him to be connected to Seren in such a way, that did not tarnish his sister in his view. Whether chosen or forced, he could not hide from the feelings she inspired in him. She made him feel so_ alive.

 _Which was why he felt so bitter now. Why would she not join him? Could she not see how much she meant to him? Did he not mean the same to her?_

 _"Seren..." He was not one to beg, but he could not hold back the longing in his voice. "Please..."_

 _A flicker of pain crossed Seren's face. Zaros suspected she was considering. But when she gave him her answer, her eyes were hard._

 _"No."_

 _He left alone._

* * *

In the time that followed, Zaros did what he had vowed: he became more than what he had been. He travelled to many worlds, encountered many races. Infernus. Vampyrium. Demons. Vampyres.

And finally, Gielinor.

* * *

 _He had felt her presence immediately, from the moment he had entered this world, but he had avoided her. Their last encounter still left a bitter feeling within him. But he had no choice now, and so he set out to confront her._

 _When he set eyes on her, the spark was still there. He had known that it would be. In all this time, she had never left his thoughts. The bond that Mah had forced upon them was still present, but much weaker than he remembered. As he realised that, his love for his former companion only grew stronger. Because he knew now that it was real. It was not Mah's doing. Her control over him had faded, yet he still felt for Seren as strongly as he ever had. It was not a forced adoration. It never had been. It was his choice. He loved her. He always had._

 _She faced him, and her eyes were like ice._

 _"Leave. You left me alone. You left Her alone. We have nothing more to say to one another."_

 _Zaros prepared to speak, to make her understand, to tell her how much she meant to him, but Seren was faster._

 _"Guthix was right. Gods have brought only destruction to this world."_

 _Guthix. So the rumours were true. Zaros had known that the ascended mortal had grown close to Seren. It was he who had persuaded her to come to Gielinor, and they had shaped its world together. She had remained by his side ever since, until he had entered his slumber. But this... the adoration in his sister's voice and the awe in her eyes when she spoke the other god's name... it was clear that he had underestimated their bond._

 _He left alone once more, and the bitterness inside him was stronger than it had ever been before. Because Seren would never be his._

 _Her love lay with Guthix. Not with him._

 _It had never been with him._

* * *

Char groaned, and the sound tore Zaros from his memories.

His attention returned to her form once more. Fire. She was fire. Seren was light. Fire and light. The former could not exist without the latter.

That was why Char had first attracted his attention, why he had chosen her as his concubine. She reminded him of the companion that he had lost, the companion that he had never truly had in the first place.

Char was fire, pain, destruction. Seren was light, gentle, peace.

It had not been the fire that had burned him.

Char shifted, rolling over, stretching out her arms, seeking him. The skin of her fingers brushed against his robes.

Skin. Flesh. She was made of flesh.

He wanted a lover made of crystal.

* * *

 **AN: Ever since I came across the lore 'Twice Burnt', I've wondered about Zaros's relationship with Char. In my mind I had always imagined Zaros as completely asexual/aromantic, so the implication that he actually did have a lover surprised me greatly. Then came 'Fate of the Gods', and new details were revealed regarding Zaros's relationship with Seren.**

 **Although they are siblings of sorts, and address each other as such ("Brother", "Sister"), I personally am getting a more-than-platonic vibe from Zaros towards Seren. This is almost certainly intentional on the part of the developers: at least one Jagex moderator has described Zaros and Seren's relationship as "borderline Lannister", and stated that players are free to interpret the bond between the two however they like, be it platonic, romantic, forced by Mah, or anything else. I personally interpret them as siblings with a one-sided romantic/sexual interest on the part of Zaros.**

 **Which left me wondering, where does Char fit into this? If Zaros is in love with Seren, why has he taken Char as his lover?**

 **I believe 'Fate of the Gods' also provided the answer to that. When asked about Char during that quest, Zaros states that Char "was reminiscent of one I used to know" and that he "drew great comfort from that."**

 **I don't personally see many similarities between Seren and Char, but I believe that that is who Zaros was referring to. Seren represents light. Char creates fire. The two are somewhat similar. Perhaps that is what drew him to Char. That's my best guess at present.**

 **As things stand at present, I believe that Zaros has more-than-platonic feelings towards Seren, who does not return them (she doesn't seem to have _any_ loving feelings, platonic or otherwise, towards him at present. She actually seems to dislike him quite strongly.) and was possibly in love with Guthix instead. Unable to be with the being that he wants, Zaros makes do with Char as the next best thing available.**

 **That's my current interpretation of things.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. Please read and review. This is my first fic, so any advice and/or constructive criticism is appreciated.**


End file.
